Sharaan Nature Reserve

Since being appointed in August 2021, WATG has delivered the master plan and guidelines for the Sharaan Nature Reserve in AlUla, KSA.

This project, led by the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU), is a major part of Vision 2030 for Saudi Arabia, with an emphasis on protecting and enhancing the region’s natural and cultural heritage. WATG was selected as the master planner by RCU to lead a consortium of specialists, ensuring that this special place is protected, its environment restored, and its wonders conserved.

The WATG master plan was developed in collaboration with a team of international experts to restore the natural landscape of this fragile ecosystem and re-establish the rich diversity of plant and animal life. In recognition of its emphasis on the conservation of both natural and cultural heritage, this master plan has been patronized by HRH The Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and has been lauded as “world-class” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The Sharaan Nature Reserve encompasses a vast 1,543 km² area and is the flagship component of a series of six protected areas in AlUla and neighboring Khaybar. Sharaan features a variety of arid habitats with native flora and landscapes that once supported a suite of native wildlife, including the Nubian ibex, Arabian ostrich, three species of gazelles, Arabian wolves, and the critically endangered Arabian leopard, which may be reintroduced to the area by 2030.

Sharaan Nature Reserve is more than just a natural landscape. Its steeply incised canyons and windswept geological formations reveal the stories of human habitation through remarkably well-preserved ancient inscriptions and archaeological structures. The Reserve is part of a larger landscape described as “one of the world’s greatest archaeological landscapes.” This intersection of nature and culture informed, guided, and inspired the development of the master plan.

The introduction of domestic livestock to the region has degraded the native vegetation due to severe overgrazing. The WATG master plan lays the foundation for restoring a healthy ecosystem and celebrating natural and cultural heritage through sensitive ecotourism and hospitality offerings.

The development of the master plan for Sharaan Nature Reserve unfolded over an intensive two-year process founded upon research, in-depth site visits, and extensive collaboration between the WATG team and the numerous experts within the RCU client team. The project lead, along with WATG’s senior landscape architect and conservation planner, was based in AlUla for six months, frequently visiting the site, consulting stakeholders, and gaining an appreciation for the nuances, complexities, and intangible attributes of the site. The support of the RCU Wildlife & Natural Heritage team—particularly the dedicated rangers, some of whom were born within the boundaries of the Reserve—was fundamental to ensuring that the master plan was accurate, relevant, and meaningful.

This approach exemplified WATG’s commitment to developing design decisions based on a foundation of research, site investigation, and cultural immersion. Every design decision was tested against its potential impact on the landscape, native flora, and habitats of the native fauna.

Sharaan Nature Reserve is a vast arid landscape with ten unique landscape character types. From lava fields to canyonlands, through sand dunes and sandstone rock outcrops and mountains, the protection of each of these charismatic landscape zones was coupled with habitat protection and ecological restoration techniques tailored to each area. The resulting master plan preserves the overall landscape character of Sharaan Nature Reserve while restoring ecological balance to its component zones.

In keeping with AlUla’s commitment to biodiversity conservation and sustainable development, the Reserve features large-scale habitat restoration to recreate a more ecologically rich and connected desert ecosystem, benefitting wildlife and creating opportunities for ecotourism.

As native flora and herbivorous species begin to recover, predators such as the Arabian wolf and red fox will have more natural prey, leading to likely population increases. Other species that will benefit from enhanced habitat protection and reduced disturbance include the rock hyrax, sand cat, Cape hare, and several bird species such as the green bee-eater, laughing dove, and crested lark, in addition to many birds of prey such as wintering eagles, harriers, the long-legged sooty falcon, and the lappet-faced vulture.

To effectively manage visitation in the Sharaan Nature Reserve, it was divided into three main zones:

1. Core Area – No activities are allowed.
2. Semi-Intensive Use Zone – Motorized activities are not allowed.
3. Intensive Use Zone – Regulated motorized tours are permitted.

Proposed facilities were strategically placed to facilitate visitor experiences and education without negatively impacting conservation goals. A visitor center and a series of access trails were sited in peripheral areas to leave the core conservation area untouched. Additionally, a proposed animal breeding center—located to minimize disturbance to the Reserve—is envisioned as a future international center of excellence for the reintroduction of endangered arid-region wildlife, including the Arabian leopard.

This multidisciplinary approach weaves together natural heritage conservation, cultural heritage conservation, and innovative, sustainable tourism and hospitality strategies. The result is a master plan that lays the groundwork for the restoration and celebration of this internationally significant cultural landscape, with deliberately light-touch access allowing visitors to explore and learn from this ancient environment in limited locations while ensuring most of the site remains untouched.

The ultimate mark of success will be the planned reintroduction of the Arabian leopard into this landscape, where it once roamed, as a result of a truly collaborative biocultural conservation approach.

The WATG team was privileged to develop a master plan for one of the world’s greatest conservation areas, integrating natural and cultural heritage conservation objectives with ecotourism and educational opportunities. The scale of this opportunity was matched only by the scale of the site itself: a 1,543 km² nature reserve comprising numerous distinct landscape character zones and habitats. This was a significant challenge requiring extensive research, collaboration between subject-matter experts and knowledge-keepers, and coordination with a vast client team.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime master planning project where the WATG team was led by a conviction that the less that was proposed for the site, the greater would be the success of the project. The design team is proud that 90.5% of the site—nearly 1,400 km²—has been designated for restoration and conservation. The remaining 10% will be dedicated to light-touch ecotourism, scientific research, and education.

The launch of the master plan by HRH The Crown Prince ensures that Sharaan Nature Reserve will remain a place of ecological significance and cultural meaning for generations to come.